Burger Battle returned for the ninth year in a row. I had to travel last year and wasn’t in town for the event, but I was super excited about going this year! They moved the event to March instead of May. Weather-wise, that seemed like a good call. However, it also looks like it didn’t give restaurants as much time to prepare, because the list of contenders was noticeably shorter. What was usually a 20-ish burger chomping marathon topped out at 11 burgers this year. Still, a good time was had by all, and there were plenty of unique burger offerings to keep things interesting.
So, who were my favorites? Let’s see!
Burgers 1 – 4
- Burger 1: The Friendly Ghost from BrgrStop
- A custom 1855 Angus all natural beef blend with housemade ghost pepper pineapple jam, ghost pepper jack cheese, Farmland bacon, and jalapeno pineapple chutney
- This was the first stand that I came across, and I almost skipped it because I didn’t want the ghost pepper to destroy my taste buds for the evening. I tried it anyway, and was blown away. The sweetness of the pineapple tempered the heat of the ghost pepper and made it more of a sharp kick instead of “third degree burn.” This wound up being my favorite burger of the night.
- Burger 2: The Irish Breakfast Burger from Bokampers
- Signature beef blend burger with Proper bacon, Irish banger, shoestring fries, worcestershire ketchup and topped with a quail egg
- My first thought when I tried this burger was “Wow…quail eggs taste a lot different than chicken eggs.” Still, the egg kind of overshadowed the taste of everything else.
- Burger 3: The Ushi Jackman Ranch “Red Wagyu” beef burger with Meyers Dark Rum Demi Glaze shot from Pelican Grand Beach Resort
- A burger with dry aged crisp prosciutto, vidalia onion jam, house special sauce, homemade pickle, aged cheddar, beefsteak tomato, and shredded lettuce on an 85% FA-House Challah Sesame Seed Bun
- It was kind of a cool and fun thing to do to inject rum directly into your burger. The dark rum was a good choice, because it really brought out the flavors in the rest of the ingredients.
- Burger 4: The Stormy from Tucker Duke’s
- A burger with Alabama white pepper sauce, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, and potato sticks on an onion roll
- This was a pretty safe burger, but it wasn’t bad.
Burgers 5-8
- Burger 5: The Bold City Burger from Metro Diner (Winner Best Bar and Grill Burger)
- A burger with Provel cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, sausage, fried jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, and garlic aioli on a brioche bun
- This burger had too much going on for my taste.
- Burger 6: The Nutella Waffle Burger from Gulfstream Park
- A burger with pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli, and maple syrup between two Nutella waffles
- I’m not really on board with “sweet and salty” combinations, so the Nutella waffle “buns” really threw me off with this burger. There is a chance that it would have worked better for me if the waffles were plain.
- Burger 7: The Carolina Jack Burger from Burger Craze (Winner Best Burger Joint Burger)
- A burger with North Carolina barbecue sauce, pepper jack cheese, bacon, and an onion ring
- One of my former bosses used to say “Keep it simple, stupid.” This burger did just that, and it paid off.
- Burger 8: The South Florida from Rok:Brgr (Winner Best Burger AND People’s Choice)
- Special blend burger (brisket, short rib, and chuck) with oxtail marmalade, manchego cheese, piquillo pepper aioli, and crispy potato strings
- In previous years, Rok:Brgr was almost always my top choice. Ever since they changed their beef patties, though, I just can’t get past the taste of the new meat. That was no different at this event, and the toppings couldn’t change that for me. I’m a little sad that they won, because this means that the patties are here to stay.
Burgers 9-11
- Burger 9: The Mushroom and Swiss Burger from Hard Rock Cafe
- Pretty self explanatory, but the chef was sure to point out that the mushrooms were cooked in white wine and thyme
- I’m usually not into mushrooms on my burger, but this one was pretty good. The mushrooms were very flavorful, so I guess that white wine and thyme was worth the mention.
- Burger 10: The JWB Shallot Burger from JWB (Winner Best Knife and Fork Burger)
- A burger with caramelized shallots, mustard seeds, port wine, bacon, pickled cucumber, and aged Vermont cheddar
- This was my second favorite burger of the evening. I don’t even like pickles on my burger, but something about that pickled cucumber really stood out. It gave the burger this refreshing sensation that lingered after every bite.
- Burger 11: The Pincho Burger from Pincho Factory
- A chuck patty with lettuce, tomato, cheese, potato sticks, and Pincho sauce
- This isn’t the first time that Pincho Factory features their Pincho Burger at a burger competition. While it’s a pretty standard burger, I have never liked the sauce that they put on it, so it never really works for me.
- “Burger” 12: Since there weren’t an even number of entries remaining, enjoy a picture of the adorable hamburger macarons that were provided by Gulfstream Park. They were too cute, but I was also too full to try one.
While smaller than previous years, Burger Battle 2018 was no less fun. I can’t wait to go back next year!
